Tuesday, February 03, 2009

What?!?! Another election?

My column for the West Bend Daily News is online.  It’s about the race for DPI and called, “What?!?! Another election?”  Here are a few highlights:

Immediately after Burmaster announced that she would not seek reelection, her long-time deputy, Tony Evers, announced his candidacy for the office. Evers has been in education his whole career. He has the support of AFSCME and likely the public support of WEAC by the time this column is printed. He’s a pure educrat through and through. If you like how the DPS has been run up until now, Evers is your man.

   Van Mobley is running as the Republican of the race. He and his wife are both professors at Concordia University and are by all accounts very nice people who excel at their professions. Mobley is a true Republican supporter. He is a frequent GOP donor and was a delegate to the Republican convention.

   But not all Republicans are created equal. Mobley also did interviews with Wisconsin Public Radio and Wisconsin Public Television in which he advocated for a sales tax increase to restructure education spending. This has long been the goal of the education spending lobby as a means to increase school spending while better hiding the expense. Mobley’s support of this funding formula is troubling for conservatives who think that the problem with education in Wisconsin is not that it doesn’t get enough money. Rather, they spend the money they get poorly.

   The two outliers in the election are Todd Price and Lowell Holtz. Price is the head of the Wisconsin Green Party and is a typical fringe candidate. Holtz is another pure educrat from Beloit. He is perhaps best well known for allowing President Obama’s campaign to tape a commercial in one of the Beloit schools. Both candidates are marginal, at best, and shouldn’t be seriously considered.

   The fifth candidate is a bit of a unique bird. Rose Fernandez is not a creature of the education establishment. She’s not a loyal Republican or conservative. She doesn’t have any history as a politician. Rose Fernandez was the head of the Wisconsin Coalition of Virtual School Families and fought a tough battle to keep virtual schools open in the past few years. She supports the Qualified Economic Offer, supports teacher merit pay, and has detailed plans to reform the Milwaukee Public Schools.

I think I may have gotten that wrong.  The story in the paper today says that the primary election will narrow the field to four - not two.  I’ll look it up to make sure. 

On another note, I wish I had had this radio interview with Van Mobley before I wrote this.  In it, Mobley opposes the expansion of School Choice, wants to give the teachers unions a chance to “reform themselves,” and seems to downplay the importance of education reforms.  It doesn’t appear that he’s living up to the “conservative” label that he has bestowed upon himself.

(6) Comments
Posted by Owen at 0631 hrs
Politics + Politics - Wisconsin

  1. Wisconsin Eye had interviews with most of the candidates a few weeks back and Mobley had me until the end when he seemed to try to walk that tight rope of conservative / keep the status quo.

    Posted by yoSAMite on February 03, 2009 at 1344 hrs


  2. Wiggy had this up awhile back.

    Worth a listen.

    http://wigdersonlibrarypub.blogspot.com/2009/01/rose-fernandez-explains-her-plan-to.html

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on February 03, 2009 at 1405 hrs


  3. Watch out for Todd Price.  The campaign has a great statewide grassroots organization and will chip into Evers vote substantially.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on February 03, 2009 at 1542 hrs


  4. The Wisconsin Eye link is here.

    The primary will narrow it to two candidates.

    Posted by folkbum on February 03, 2009 at 1839 hrs


  5. Not sure how hearing the Mobley interview would have helped you with your article since you didn’t even listen to the previous radio address in it’s entirety.  Mobley absolutely does not support a tax increase!

    Mobley stated that he would be open to a sales tax increase if it was offset with a corresponding decrease in property taxes.  In addition, he stated that he would be opposed to anything that would increase the overall tax burdon.

    Please do some objective reporting.  Mobley is the only candidate that has a chance of beating Evers.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on February 10, 2009 at 1224 hrs


  6. Concerned Republican Voter has it right.  If we truly want to reform education in Wisconsin, we need to be able to think beyond sound bites.  As much as I am a fan of yours Owen, and I agree with you 99% of the time, you have this one wrong.  Van Mobley is the conservative choice in thsi race, and the only Republican who possibly has a shot of beating Evers.

    You missed the point of even the interview you linked.  For example, Mobley said that the climate is not right now to expand School Choice because, based on the last election.  He will have to use all of his resources to defend School Choice (“you will have to carry me out on a stretcher before I will let anyone roll back School Choice”).

    Get real.  To win this election, a candidate needs to be a realist.  Van has the right ideology, but he is smart enough to pick the fights on which he can have an impact (e.g., pushing for merit pay, maintianing the QEO, fixing MPS).

    I am tired of Wisconsin Republicans backing losers only to ... giess what ... lose.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on February 15, 2009 at 2244 hrs


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